Experiencing multiple loss of persons with AIDS: grief and bereavement issues

Through a case study approach involving seven respondents and intensive personal interviews, the authors explored grief and bereavement issues for survivors experiencing multiple loss of persons with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). A three-stage model of grief including avoidance, confrontation, and reestablishment was used to explore the issues faced by survivors. The compounding factors of this phenomenon include society's unwillingness to validate the gay identity, the intensity of multiple loss, the lack of time between losses, and the subsequent impact on self-identify and self-esteem. These discussions serve to enable an understanding of the grief experience for this population. Recommendations for practice are given to facilitate the expression of feelings necessary for the healing process to begin.